Method of making and brush for cleaning tubes



March 2, 1937. A. A. JENNINGS METHOD OF MAKING AND BRUSH FOR CLEANING TUBES M W 2 y M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING AND BRUSH FOR CLEANING TUBES (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) My invention is an improvement, in the art generally and specifically, on the invention of Guysbert B. Vroom disclosed in Patents Nos. 1,883,425 and 1,920,283.

An object of my invention is to dispense with the securement of the rope ends, the removal of said securement, and the retention of the rope sections in their respective holes by frictional engagement of the rope throughout the length of the holes, each of which is tedious and said retention soon so wears the holes as to require frequent replacement of the brush body. My invention greatly prolongs the useful life of the brush body.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple, convenient and inexpensive method of making, as well as re-bristling, a brush for cleaning tubes and other articles which may be readily and efficiently practiced manually on ship or ashore by relatively inexperienced personnel, and to provide a noveland highly useful brush for the most efiicient practice of my invention.

Further objects of my invention, in each of its method and apparatus aspects, may be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of my invention in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a brush constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig.2. is a sideelevation view thereof with a portion of its flexible shaft;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 before the bristle units are applied and with a portion of opposite ends in central vertical section; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional end view through one of the bristle holes and illustrating the method of readily inserting the wire rope into each of the bristle holes without unlaying the strands of the wire rope.

In the drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts, 10 represents the brush body which in the instance shown is cylindrical although it may be of any desired shape. Body It! may conveniently-be provided on opposite ends with an integral screw-threaded projection H. A tube or other shaped cover l2 extends over the outer surface of, and is preferably longer at one end than, the body In, as shown at the left end of Fig. 3. A washer l3 surrounds the base of each projection II and is adapted to be clamped against theopposite ends of tube or other cover 12 (with one end flush with and the other end slightly longer than body i0) by nuts 14 and l5, 14 being the usual nut, while in the instance shown, I5 is the threaded hollow end of the flexible shaft l6.

Through the tube or cover [2 and body II) are formed a desirable number of holes ll which, in the case of a round brush body, are formed radially therethrough, but in the case of a different shaped brush body the holes may be at right an gles to the surfaces they pierce. The clamping together in the stated position of body l0 and tube or cover l2, and then drilling the holes ll therethrough, affords a convenient method of brush production readily practicable with eflicient economy by relatively inexperienced personnel.

The next step in the method of brush production is filling the holes H with bristles, which may be readily and conveniently accomplished by unskilled persons without the use of tools. However, it is more rapidly and economically practiced with a tube 20 preferably provided with an external taper 2|, or reduced diameter, on one end. This end of reduced diameter is adapted to be placed against the outer surface of tube or cover l2 over or adjacent a hole I1, and avoids contact with any bristle unit that may have been installed in an adjoining hole through the brush body. The opposite end of tube 20 is provided with a conical opening 22 concentric with and opening into the bore of tube 20. A wire rope 23 is run from a reel or other convenient source of supply to and through the mouth of cone 22 and the bore tube 20, while manually holding the strands of rope 23 from unlaying. When rope 23 projects slightly from the small end of tube 20, the rope may readily be entered into and pushed successively through each of the bristle unit holes through the brush body until it projects the desired distance from the opposite end of each hole, whereupon tube 20 is withdrawn from the surface of tube or cover 12 the desired distance and the rope severed with its opposite ends projecting from opposite sides of the tube or cover l2 to form the proper length of bristles on each side.

The bore of tube 20 is of such diameter as to enable the proper sized wire rope to be readily pushed therethrough and yet hold the same to the extent that the strands of the rope are prevented from unlaying.

After theholes ll are thus filled with rope bristles, the nut 15 is then unscrewed slightly and nut I4 tightened to cause the relative shifting of body l0 and tube or cover I2 longitudinally to bind the section of rope 23 in each hole I! thus forced out of alignment through body l0 and tube or cover I 2. This binding of each bristle-forming rope section 23 in each hole I! secures the same to the brush body so that when the same is rotated in a tube, to clean said tube, by fiexible shaft IE, or otherwise moved on any surface to clean the same, the bristle units remain efiiciently fixed to the brush body.

The out bristle lengths may be centered and the ends adjusted into a uniform cleaning surface by placing the filled brush body in a short piece of tube and the nut l4 tightened, whereupon said tube is removed. This centering is preferably done also While retightening nut M, as next hereafter explained.

After protracted use of the brush thus formed, should such binding retention of each bristle unit cause the cleaning end of each projection of the bristle units to become inefiiciently inclined by reason of such binding, the nuts l4 and i5 may be shifted to opposite ends and nut l4 retightened, which will apply the securing bind as well as the cleaning motion in the opposite direction to each bristle unit and thus overcome any inefficient inclination of the cleaning ends of the bristle units.

By my novel method a new and useful brush is produced of substantial advantage in the art of brush cleaning, and longer cleaning life, by which the readily wearing bristles, due to their usually rigorous service, may be inexpensively and quickly replaced anywhere and by those of little skill therein, and the whole brush may likewise be made.

The tube 2%) not only holds the strands of wire rope 23 from unlaying, but it also holds straight the initial short projection of the rope 23 extending from its tapered end 2|. This facilitates the application of a portion of rope 23 to each of the holes in the brush body which, for the initial as well as subsequent applications of the bristle units thereto, comprises the body I ii and the tube or cover l2 positioned with the bristle unit holes I! therein in alignment. In the application of rope 23 to the bristle unit holes H, the

7 tube 20 may be held in one hand and the rope 23 desirably positioned therethrough with the other hand. The rope 23 is pushed the desired distance through each hole I! to form the requisite length of bristle unit projecting from one end of the holes I! through the brush body. The tapered end of tube 2i may then be moved along the rope 23 an equal distance and the projecting portion of rope 23 severed in definite relation to the end of tube 2| which may serve as a guide for the point of severance. This operation is repeated until the brush body has been completely bristled.

In this practice of my method the only special tool required is the tube 20 which is provided for convenience and economy of production. Such tube 20 may be dispensed With and the rope 23 manipulated by the hands of the operator to hold the strands thereof from unlaying While applying the rope to holes of the brush body.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of applying rope, having tightly laid wire strands tending to unlay where severed, to the bristle unit holes in a brush body, comprising progressively holding portions near and more remote from an end of a supply of rope to keep its strands from unlaying while passing the same into each bristle unit opening in the brush body, severing from the rope supply the length thereof desired for a bristle unit, and holding the portion of the rope supply adjacent the point of severance while the bristle unit length is being severed and until said supply is inserted into the next bristle unit opening.

2. The method of applying rope, having tightly laid wire strands tending to unlay where severed, to the bristle unit holes in a brush body, comprising passing an end of a supply of rope into a confined area to prevent the unlaying of its strands while passing said rope into a bristle opening in the brush body, registering said confined area and a bristle unit hole, extending the rope through said confined area into said hole, and severing from the rope supply substantially the length thereof desired for a bristle unit at a point adjacent said confined area.

- 3. The method of applying rope, having tightly laid wire strands tending to unlay where severed, to the bristle unit holes in a brush body, including the step of passing an end of a supply of rope through an area so confined as to prevent its strands from unlaying while being passed through said area, said area being at a point adjacent but independent of the brush body.

4. A brush having its brush surface formed of the severed ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a retaining member comprising a plurality of relatively juxtaposed elements, said elements having a plurality of holes therein which are adapted to receive and hold said rope portions by the misalignment of said holes, and means for securing said elements with said ropeholding holes in misalignment.

5. A brush having its brush surface formed of the severed ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a brush body, an element on the surface of said body, said body and element having a plurality of holes therein each adapted to be occupied by and hold one of the rope portions, and means for securing said body and element together with said holes in misalignment and binding the rope portions therein.

6. A brush having its brush surface formed of the severed ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a cylindrical brush body, a tube surrounding said brush body, said tube and body each having a plurality of holes therein and occupied by and holding an intermediate part of their respective rope portions by misalignment of said holes with said brushing surface ends projecting from opposite sides of the tube, and means for securing the tube to the body with the wall of each hole respectively in the tube and body bindingly engaging opposite sides of the rope portion occupying such holes.

7. A brush having its brush surface formed of the ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a cylindrical brush body, a tube surrounding said brush body, said tube and body each having a plurality of holes therein and occupied by an intermediate part of their respective rope portions with said brushing surface ends projecting from opposite sides of the tube, and means for securing the body and tube together with the holes through the body and tube staggered with opposite sides of the wall of the same hole therethrough bindingly engaging opposite sides of the intermediate rope portions respectively occupying such holes.

8. A brush having its brush surface formed of the ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a cylindrical brush body, a tube surrounding said brush body, said tube and body each having a pluralityof holes therein and occupied by an intermediate part of their respective rope portions with said brushing surface ends projecting from opposite sides of the tube, and means for applying pressure in opposite directions to said tube and body to cause opposite sides of the wall of the same hole through the tube and body to bindingly engage opposite sides of the respective rope portions occupying said holes.

9. A brush having its brush surface formed of the ends of a plurality of straight portions of a rope, a cylindrical brush body, a tube surrounding said brush body, said tube and body each having a pluralityof holes therein with each hole in the tube and body being and occupied by an intermediate part of their respective rope portions with said brushing surface ends projecting from opposite sides of the tube, the tube and body being of difierent lengths, and screw means for exerting pressure in opposite directions upon said tube and body for causing opposite sides of the wall of the same holes in the tube and. body to bindingly engage opposite sides of the rope portions respec tively occupying said holes.

10. An article of manufacture for the bristling of brush bodies with rope of tightly laid strands, comprising a relatively long thin tube provided with an unobstructed bore extending completely through the tube, all but a small portion of the length of said bore being of uniform diameter adapted to tightly yet slidably engage the outer surface of the rope with a stress which prevents the unlaying of its strands, the wall of said tube being thin at one end to prevent interference with bristles of said rope insertable from said tube into closely adjoining holes in a brush body, with which holes said thin end of said tube is adapted to successively register while being filled with rope, and said tube having its end opposite the thin end. provided with a short tapering enlargement of said bore whose wall is adapted to be engaged only by the ends of strands of the rope which may be frayed or unlaid when the end of the rope is inserted into said bore for facilitating the insertion of such rope into the bore of said tube and thence into the holes of the brush body.

ARVAI-I A. JENNINGS. 

